Final agenda

EPA Water Quality Trading News (Aug. 2006) includes the summaries of the facilitated discussions from the Pittsburgh National Water Quality Trading conference.

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Speaker biographies

Susan Burke
Susan Burke is a Compliance and Special Projects Coordinator for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. She has worked for Idaho DEQ for 16 years in various water quality programs. Since 2000 Susan has worked at developing a trading program for Idaho through drafting guidance documents, studying watersheds with potential for trading, and collaborating with EPA on trading language for NPDES permits. Susan has a law degree from the University of Oregon with an emphasis in environmental studies. Susan is originally from Chicago but much prefers living in the West.
Contact: Susan Burke, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, 1410 N. Hilton, Boise, ID 83706, 208-373-0574, susan.burke@deq.idaho.gov

Christopher Clark
Christopher D. Clark is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He performs research on a variety of topics in environmental and natural resource economics. He is currently teaching graduate courses in natural resource economics and an undergraduate course in agricultural law. He has a Ph.D. in Economics from Vanderbilt University and a J.D. from Tulane University.
Contact: Christopher Clark, 302 Morgan Hall, 2621 Morgan Circle, Knoxville, TN 37996-4518, 865-974-7471, cdclark@utk.edu

Bobby Cochran
Bobby Cochran is a doctoral student at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University. He has worked for the last six years linking partners together for conservation through collaborative processes in Oregon, California, New York, and Southeast Asia. His research focuses on the governance of markets for ecosystem services. He specializes in developing collaborative policy tools and approaches at the intersection between economics and the environment. Over the last year, Bobby has tracked the development of conservation markets worldwide working for Defenders of Wildlife and Clean Water Services. Prior to joining the efforts to form an ecosystem marketplace in the Willamette, Bobby managed a participatory research project for the Worldwide Fund for Nature and the World Bank exploring the effects of trade liberalization on the environment and poverty in Southwest China. He helped launch the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy in Southern California, the largest urban state conservancy in the country, by building networks of partners and organizing local governments for conservation. Bobby has his Masters in Public Policy from the University of Southern California and a B.A. in Biology and Society, magna cum laude, from Cornell University.
Contact: Bobby Cochran, 7304 N. Concord, Portland, OR 97217, 503-347-2789, jrcochraniv@hotmail.com

Mark Colosimo
As an Engineering Advisor for the International Joint Commission, Dr. Colosimo works on water quality and quantity issues along the Canadian and United States Boundary. Prior to joining the International Joint Commission in June 2004, Mark worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) where he worked on water non-point source pollution reduction programs and initiatives, including market-based environmental stewardship. In fact, Mark led the initial development of the USDA Policy on Market-Based Environmental Stewardship. Mark has also worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers, first with Baltimore District in a variety of positions within the Regulatory, Civil Works and Military programs, and later in the Civil Works Planning and Policy Division of the Headquarters office. Mark served as one of ten federal agency representatives on the Council on Environmental Quality National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Task Force (2002-2003) that evaluated mechanisms to make the NEPA process more effective and efficient, as well as methods to modernize the NEPA process. Currently, Mark is serving as the Co-chair of the technical committee for the 2006 American Water Resources Association Specialty Conference on Adaptive Management of Water Resources to be held in Missoula, Montana at the end of June. Mark's received a BS in Biology from the Pennsylvania State University, an MA in Environmental Planning from Towson State University, an MS in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University (JHU), and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, also from JHU. Mark is a registered professional wetland scientist.
Contact: Mark F. Colosimo, Ph.D., Engineering Advisor, U.S. Section, International Joint Commission, U.S. Department of State, colosimom@washington.ijc.org, 202-736-9021

Paula Conolly
Paula Conolly is Senior Task Manager for the Philadelphia Water Department's Source Water Protection Program consultant team. Paula played a central role in the development of the Schuylkill Action Network-a collaborative effort to restore and protect the Schuylkill River Watershed in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Ms. Conolly provides technical oversight for projects under EPA's Targeted Watershed Program grant for the Schuylkill - an award of $1.15 million for over thirty-five priority projects throughout the watershed.
Contact: Paula Conolly, 1101 Market Street, 4th Floor, Office of Watersheds, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-990-1422, paula.conolly@phila.gov

Gregory Currey
Greg Currey is an Associate Director for permitting and regulatory support and a senior environmental engineer with Tetra Tech, Inc. in Fairfax, Virginia. He has more than 16 years of experience in water resource management and regulatory support for CWA programs with expertise in NPDES program development, permit writing, water quality standards implementation, watershed-based permitting, trading, and training. Before joining Tetra Tech, Greg worked for EPA's Office of Water for more than 10 years. Contact: Greg Currey, TetraTech FFX10306 Eaton Place, Suite 340, Fairfax, VA 22030, 703-385-6000, greg.currey@tetratech-ffx.com

Kellie DuBay
Kellie DuBay is an environmental scientist with Tetra Tech, Inc. Ms. DuBay has supported the U.S. EPA in its efforts to promote watershed-based permitting and water quality trading, including the development of technical assistance tools such as the Watershed-Based Permitting NPDES Implementation Guidance and the toolkit entitled Implementing Water Quality Trading Through NPDES Permitting. She is currently supporting the Conservation Technology Information Center to develop a water quality trading technical assistance manual for the agricultural community through a cooperative agreement with U.S. EPA.
Contact: Kellie DuBay 1468 West Ninth Street Suite 620 Cleveland, OH 44113 P: 216-861-2950 F: 216-861-2960 kellie.dubay@tetratech-ffx.com

Alex Echols
Alex Echols grew up on the family's farm (known as the New Farm by the family - 1780) in Virginia. Alex got most of his education at the College of Hard Knocks after completing his formal education (B. Philosophy in Environmental Science - Miami University - and Master of Urban Planning - Texas A&M - he came to Washington to work on conservation issues. He worked for Senator Robert W. Kasten, Jr. (R-WI) for 12 years where he wrote key conservation programs like the Conservation Title of the Farm Bill and an extensive rewrite of our bilateral and multilateral foreign aid programs. Alex subsequently worked for a trade association where he used market incentives to encourage the use of recyclables and then spent 6 years at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The first 4.5 as Deputy Director and the last year and a half as Acting Executive Director. In 2001 Alex set up his own consulting firm to help industry, the conservation community and government deliver more conservation for their dollar invested. His principle client is the Sand County Foundation. Of particular interest to Alex is non-regulatory approaches to better environmental management, getting a better return on conservation investment and fostering broader participation in conservation.
Contact: Alex Echols 703-660-9150 echols@conrod.com

Libby Ford
Libby Ford, Qualified Environmental Professional, is a Senior Environmental Health Engineer and the former Coordinator of the Environmental Water and Technical Teams with the law firm of Nixon Peabody LLP. Among her areas of focus are water permitting, water quality, wastewater compliance and associated analytical issues. Libby is the former Chair of the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the New York Water Environment Association's Government Affairs Committees. She also represents WEF on the Board of the Institute of Professional Practice, which administers the testing and certification of Qualified Environmental Professionals, an international certification for water, air, waste and environmental management technical professionals. She has a BS/Biology degree and a MS/Environmental Engineering, both from the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana. Libby has recently become a certified mediator, and she hopes to apply this training and her many years of experience working at the intersection of legal/regulatory and technical issues to complex water and other environmental disputes.
Contact: Libby Ford, Nixon Peabody LLP, P.O. Box 31051, Rochester, NY 14603-1051, 585-263-1606, lford@nixonpeabody.com

Thomas Green
Thomas Green is president of the IPM Institute of North America, Inc., a non-profit organization he co-founded in 1998. The Institute's mission is to develop market-based incentives for adoption of Integrated Pest Management and other Best Management Practices in agriculture and communities. In 2004 and 2005, the Institute was named a Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program Champion by US EPA. Clients and funders have included US Army, US EPA, USDA, SYSCO Corporation, Whole Foods Market, General Mills and the Universities of Wisconsin, Florida, Cornell and Rutgers. Dr. Green has been an apple grower, founder and owner of an IPM supply business that is now part of GEMPLER'S. He holds a Ph.D. in entomology from the University of Massachusetts.
Contact: Thomas Green, Ph.D., President, IPM Institute of North America, 1914 Rowley Ave., Madison WI 53726, 608 232-1528, Fax 608 232-1530, ipmworks@ipminstitute.org, www.ipminstitute.org

John Hall
John Hall is the founder and president of Hall & Associates, a legal/regulatory consulting firm focusing on compliance with environmental mandates under the water, air, and hazardous waste programs. Mr. Hall is an expert on NPDES water quality-based permitting, site-specific standards development, wet weather issues, nutrient trading and TMDL development. He represents industries, municipalities, and associations throughout the country. Mr. Hall is the author of numerous papers and articles on water pollution control and environmental permitting and is a frequent lecturer on these topics. Mr. Hall received his B.A. degree in mathematics from St. John's University in 1978 and his M.S. degree in environmental engineering from Manhattan College in 1980. He obtained his law degree from George Washington University in 1984.
Contact: John Hall, 1101 15th St. N.W., Suite 203, Washington, DC 20005, 202-463-1166, jhall@hall-associates.com

Mark Kieser
Mark Kieser is Senior Scientist at Kieser & Associates of Kalamazoo, Michigan and is Acting Chair of the Environmental Trading Network. He work involves advising state and local governments in developing water quality policies. In his capacity with the ETN, Kieser has played a central role in developing WQ trading programs across the nation. Contact: Mark Kieser, 536 E. Michigan Ave., Suite 300, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, 269-344-7117, mkieser@envtn.org

Chris Lewicki
Chris Lewicki is a Senior Policy Analyst in the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, where she specializes in the application of water quality trading as a means to achieve Total Maximum Daily Loads and other Clean Water Act objectives. Throughout her career at EPA, she has been a strong advocate of collaborative watershed management. Prior to working for USEPA, Chris worked as an environmental consultant to private industry and state and federal government agencies. Chris is a graduate of Boston University, with a B.A. in Physical Geography and a graduate of Indiana University with a Master of Environmental Science and a Master of Public Affairs.
Contact: Chris Lewicki, USEPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 4501T, Washington, DC 20460, 202-566-1293, lewicki.chris@epa.gov

Charles Logue
Since 1995 he has served as Director, Regulatory Affairs Department for Clean Water Services in Hillsboro, Oregon. In this position he is responsible for Regulatory Affairs and Permitting, as well as, the management of the Source Control Division. Mr. Logue was the project manager for the District's review of the 2001 TMDL development and was responsible for the implementation plan. Mr. Logue lead the development of the nation's first integrated, municipal watershed-based NPDES permit which was issued in February, 2004. Mr. Logue served on DEQ's Triennial Review of WQ Standards Policy Advisory Group in 2003-2004 and on DEQ's Blue Ribbon Committee reviewing the Wastewater Management Program in 2004. Mr. Logue is Past-Chair of the Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies (ACWA) and currently serves as National Director for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), formerly known as the Association of Municipal Sewerage Agencies (AMSA). From 1990-1995 he was Chief, Wastewater Division, Department of Public Utilities, City of Jacksonville, Florida. He is a registered professional engineer in Oregon and Florida. He received a B.S. in Zoology, University of South Florida, Tampa; an M.S. in Marine Biology, University of West Florida, Pensacola; and a B.S. in Environmental Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville.
Contact: Charles Logue, P.E. Clean Water Services 2550 SW Hillsboro Highway Hillsboro, OR 97123 503-681-3604 LogueC@CleanWaterServices.org

Christopher Obropta
Dr. Christopher C. Obropta is an Extension Specialist in Water Resources with Rutgers Cooperative Extension and he is a faculty member of the Department of Environmental Sciences at Cook College, Rutgers University. Although his bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees are in Civil Engineering, he has been working as an environmental engineer for 15 years. Prior to joining Rutgers a little over two years ago, Dr. Obropta was an environmental consultant for 12 years at Omni Environmental Corporation, located in Princeton, New Jersey. While at Rutgers, Dr. Obropta has been helping stakeholders deal with water quality issues and conducting research on stormwater best management practices, TMDLs, and watershed management.
Contact: Dr. Christopher Obropta, Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University - 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, 732-932-4917, obropta@envsci.rutgers.edu

Doug Parker
Dr. Parker is an Associate Professor and Extension Economist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Maryland. Dr. Parker's research and extension programs focus on nonpoint source water pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Region.
Contact: Doug Parker, Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2200 Symons Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, Office: 301-405-8042, Fax: 301-314-9091, dparker@arec.umd.edu

Todd Petty
Todd received a BS in Biology from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and an MS and PhD in Forest Resources from University of Georgia in Athens. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Aquatic Sciences at West Virginia University where he teaches courses in Limnology, Watershed Restoration and Management, and Population Ecology. Todd's research focuses on: basic stream ecology, fish population and community ecology, and stream and watershed restoration. Specifically, his research examines how best to design restoration programs to maximize biodiversity and fish population productivity at a watershed scale.
Contact: Todd Petty, West Virginia University, Division of Forestry, Morgantown, WV 26506, 301-293-2941 x2417, jtpetty@mail.wvu.edu

John Powers
John is a senior economist in EPA's Office of Water. He has been with EPA for seven years, and specializes in benefit-cost analysis, with an emphasis on estimating the economic value of nonmarket ecosystem services. John's educational background includes Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in economics from Indiana University, an M.S. in economics from South Dakota State University, and a B.A. in bio-mathematics from Rutgers University.
Contact: John Powers, USEPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, MC 4101M, Washington, DC 20460, 202-564-5776, powers.john@epa.gov

Kristin Rowles
Kristin Rowles is a senior policy analyst with the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center. She has fourteen years of experience coordinating watershed, water quality, conservation, and fisheries policy projects for state agencies and nongovernmental organizations, including the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine Study, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation, the Finger Lakes Land Trust, the Tompkins County (NY) Environmental Management Council, and currently the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center.
Contact: Kristin Rowles P.O. Box 3992 Atlanta, GA 30302 404-822-2395 krowles@gsu.edu

James S. Shortle
James S. Shortle is Distinguished Professor of Agricultural and Environmental Economics in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, and the Director of the Environment and Natural Resources Institute, at Penn State University, University Park. His research addresses the design of economic incentives for environmental protection, including pollution trading, adaptation to global environmental change, environmental decision making under uncertainty, and coupled models of economic and environmental systems.
Contact James S. Shortle University Park, PA 16802 Phone: 814-865-7657 Fax: 814-865-3746 jshortle@psu.edu

Antje Siems
Antje Siems is an economist with Abt Associates Inc. in Cambridge, MA. Ms. Siems has provided regulatory and non-regulatory support to EPA's Office of Water for over 10 years. Her water quality trading experience includes co-authorship of two white papers, prepared for EPA: Applying Lessons Learned from Wetlands Mitigation Banking to Water Quality Trading and An Examination of Key Elements and Conditions for Establishing a Water Quality Trading Bank. Ms. Siems holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in economics from Boston University.
Contact: Antje Siems 55 Wheeler Street Cambridge, MA 02138 617-349-2784 antje_siems@abtassoc.com

Jeremy Sokulsky
Jeremy Sokulsky, Professional Engineer (P.E.) is the managing partner of Environmental Incentives, LLC which works with policy-makers and nonprofits to increase the wise uses of market-based incentives to inspire environmental improvement. EI also works with entrepreneurs, land owners and investors to participate in environmental markets and derive value from the ecosystem services they create. Mr. Sokulsky is leading the development of a water quality trading program for Lake Tahoe and holds an MBA from Stanford Business School.
Contact: Jeremy Sokulsky 1934 Toppewetah St. South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 650-283-7997 Jeremy@enviroincentives.com

Paul Stacey
Paul E. Stacey is a supervising environmental analyst with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Water Management. He has served as state coordinator for the Long Island Sound Study (LISS) since 1985 and supervises CTDEP's nonpoint source program. Mr. Stacey was previously employed at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. At CTDEP he has been involved in nitrogen issues, including acid deposition, cultural eutrophication, and nitrogen trading as a management mechanism.
Contact: Paul Stacey, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, 79 Elm Street Hartford, CT 06106, 860-424-3728, paul.stacey@po.state.ct.us

Scott Van de Mark
Scott Van de Mark is the Director of Special Projects with the Western Pennsylvania office of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and serves as the Manager of Enterprising Environmental Solutions, Inc. (EESI), a supporting organization of the Council since 2000. Scott is a project manager for environmental quality trading and energy and climate projects for PEC and EESI. Before joining PEC, Scott worked as an Environmental Scientist with Environmental Strategies Corporation (ESC), in Pittsburgh. With ESC he conducted environmental risk assessments, phase 1 site investigations and environmental monitoring programs. He has a B.A. from the University of Vermont in Economics and Environmental Studies and a M.E.S. from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Contact: Scott Van de Mark, 22 Terminal Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1209, 412-481-9400, svandemark@pecwest.org

Sara Vickerman
Sara Vickerman is senior director of biodiversity programs for Defenders of Wildlife and director of the Northwest office. Based in West Linn, Vickerman oversees the Oregon Biodiversity Project and other programs seeking to find common ground among diverse interests. She is the author of a report called Stewardship Incentives: Conservation Strategies for Oregon's Working Landscape, published in 1998 as part of the Oregon Biodiversity Project and later revised for a national audience. Vickerman served two terms on the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission. She was the vice chair of the Governor's Willamette River Basin Task Force, currently serves on the Board and Executive Committee for the Willamette Partnership. She was a member of the Northwest Council of the President's Council on Sustainable Development, and serves on board of Sustainable Northwest. She is currently a member of the Oregon Sustainability Board, a member of the Advisory Board for the Institute for Natural Resources at Oregon State University, and recently co-chaired the Willamette River Greenway Plan steering committee for the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation.
In 1988, Vickerman facilitated the creation of the Oregon wildlife viewing network by producing the Oregon Wildlife Viewing Guide. To date, the process has been replicated in 35 states, all building on the Oregon model. In 1998, Vickerman helped secure 15% of Oregon's lottery revenue for parks and fish and wildlife habitat through a statewide ballot measure. The 2001 and 2003, Oregon Legislature approved sustainability and incentives legislation proposed by Defenders and partners. In 2002, the Washington Legislature approved biodiversity legislation, also promoted by Defenders. Vickerman has received several awards including the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Society for Conservation Biology in 1991. The office received the National Award for Sustainability in 1999 for the Oregon Biodiversity Project and Conservation Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior. Vickerman was also the recipient of the 2000 Earl Chiles award for the Oregon Biodiversity Project, and the Associated Oregon Industries Environmental Award in 2002. In 2003, she received an award from the Oregon Chapter of the Wildlife Society.
Her background includes an M.S. in biology, geography and education from Southern Oregon State College, a B.S. in anthropology from California State University at Fullerton, and an A.A. in art from Fullerton Junior College.
Contact: Sara Vickerman, Senior Director, Biodiversity Programs, DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE, 1880 Willamette Falls Drive, Suite 200, West Linn, Oregon 97068, 503 / 697-3222 FAX 503 / 697-3268, Svickerman@defenders.org

Julie Vlier
Ms. Vlier has over 20 years of experience in water resources and water quality engineering. She leads the water resources discipline for Tetra Tech in Colorado. Her specialty areas include many aspects of water, including watershed based trading. Ms. Vlier's leadership on the watershed-based trading front is particularly recognized through the phosphorus trading program developed for Cherry Creek Reservoir, Colorado, the selenium and aquatic habitat offsets framework developed for the Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado, and exploring interstate .trading approaches.
Contact: Julie Vlier 1900 South Sunset Street Suite 1-F Longmont, CO 80501 303-772-5282 julie.vlier@ttrmc.com

Marcus Zobrist
Marcus Zobrist is the leader of the Water Quality Team in the Water Permits Division of the Office of Wastewater Management at EPA Headquarters, Washington, DC. The Water Quality Team addresses technical, policy, and legal aspects of water quality-based permitting and the implementation of water quality standards in NPDES permits, including implementation of TMDLs, WET, Watershed-based permits and issues related to new criteria such as those for nutrients. Marcus also serves as an instructor in EPA's Basic NPDES Permit Writer's Course and the Water Quality Standards Academy. Prior to joining EPA Headquarters in 2001, Marcus worked for EPA Region 2 (New York City) where he worked on NPDES permits and enforcement. Marcus has a degree in Civil Engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Contact: Marcus Zobrist, USEPA Headquarters, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W., Mail Code: 4203M, Washington, DC 20460 202-564-8311, zobrist.marcus@epa.gov

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